Ponderings of My Heart: Mary, the Mother of Yeshua: A Series of Devotions for Advent and Christmas

By Rev. James R. Fuchs

Throughout the Bible, Yahweh calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Mary is no exception. In the Nativity story, a humble, young Jewish girl is called to do that which socially could get her shunned or stoned to death. The real miracle is not a virgin birth but that Mary said "yes." This was truly an "ohhh" moment. Even when she questions or doubts, she boldly demonstrates her trust in God. As we follow Mary on this journey to Epiphany, may we be inspired to say "yes" to our calling.

Originally written as an Advent to Epiphany devotional, Mary's ponderings are applicable to our daily journey. Each day begins with an interpretation of Mary's thoughts and emotions, followed by modern application and concluding with a prayer. Discover your "ohhh" moments as you walk with Mary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887518527

Book preview

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Ponderings of My Heart: Mary, the Mother of Yeshua

A Series of Devotions for Advent and Christmas

Rev. James R. Fuchs

ISBN 979-8-88751-851-0 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88751-852-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Rev. James R. Fuchs

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Daily Entries for Advent and Epiphany

November 29

November 30

December 1

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

December 15

December 16

December 17

December 18

December 19

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

December 28

December 29

December 30

December 31

January 1

January 2

January 3

January 4

January 5

January 6

About the Author

This book, Ponderings of My Heart: Mary, the Mother of Yeshua; A Series of Devotions for Advent and Christmas, is dedicated to the following:

My dear wife, Karen, who volunteered me for the initial 2009 Advent devotional. Karen continued to support me with love and encouragement as I expanded this devotional in 2022.

My children, Chad, Mark, Daniel, Kerri, Annie, and Kristen. They are a constant joy in my heart.

My siblings, Margaret, Gertrude, Lillian, and Paul. They put up with me as the youngest child in the family.

Last but not the least, my dear friend, the Reverend Dr. Herbert Brokering. He has always encouraged me to be true to Yahweh's law and Gospel and to communicate these truths in ways outside of the box. In my following the call of the Gospel, Herb lovingly bestowed on me the honor of calling me his Rabbi.

Foreword

This book began as an Advent devotional for the days of Advent through Christmas Eve 2009; thus, the first reading begins on November 29 of that year. I finished writing the devotional readings for Christmas Day through Epiphany in the summer of 2010, and then I put them on the back shelf until the summer of 2021.

Advent is a time of waiting and preparing. It is also a time when we are called to trust. Trust is an essential and powerful component of faith. Christmas brings forth the truth that our trust has not been in vain. I pray that you will find the following devotions leading up to Epiphany to be meaningful for you. They may take a somewhat unusual form for many of you. I only encourage you to let the words and thoughts flow within you as you go inside the mind of Mary as she prepares for the birth of our Lord and the days after our Lord is born. These thoughts and words are not found in any sacred writings. They are simply my reflections of reading scripture and imagining what Mary was experiencing.

Mary is a woman who is highly revered by some Christian communities, much more than in the Lutheran church. Mary, because of almost extreme reverence by some and because of the events bringing forth the Reformation, has been perhaps pushed too far back in the minds/consciousness of many Lutheran and other churches. Please join me together with Mary, a young girl, who can teach us much about trust and faith, as she journeys on the way to the birth of Jesus.

To give the reader the sense of being in the moment with Mary, I have written her words in the present tense, as she would have experienced them. The trust that she placed in God was renewed in her heart in each new moment, with no regret about moments that had passed or apprehension about moments to come.

At the end of the prayers, I will close with Amain, the Hebrew word for Amen.

Respectfully,

Rev. James Fuchs

Preface

The dates of Yeshua's circumcision and the arrival of the Magi in the devotional are not on the days when we celebrate them according to the liturgical calendar. I made this adjustment to complete my storytelling of other events in the lives of the Holy Family.

Each daily entry in this devotional opens with a narrative from Mary, followed by a reflection, and closing with a prayer.

The calendar dates in this devotional align with the dates in 2009, when I wrote the original draft. In a final draft of this work, I considered changing from calendar dates to labelling the days as Advent Day 1, Advent Day 2, and so on; ultimately, I